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How to fold an origami crab

Fold the sides in for the claws and crease the middle into eighths. Snip the folded edge into a comb of legs, cut eye stalks and pincers, then swing the claws up and the legs out.

You need: 1 sheet of thin A4 copy paper, red on at least one side, small scissors, a ruler, a glue stick and a white gel pen or paper dots. Hard, 17 steps, about 24 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge, red side out. The folded edge along the bottom will become the legs.
  2. Fold the sides in. Fold the left and right edges in 4.2 cm. These flaps will be the claws.
  3. Fold in half. Fold it in half, left edge onto the right edge.
  4. In half again. Fold it in half again, right edges over onto the left fold.
  5. And again. Fold it in half once more, the same way. It is thick now, so press every fold flat with a ruler edge.
  6. Open it out. Unfold the last fold.
  7. Open again. Unfold the second fold.
  8. Open flat. Unfold it flat, side flaps still folded in. Seven upright creases mark out eight strips.
  9. Trim the claw flaps. Cut up both side folds 6 cm from the bottom. Then cut straight across each side flap from there and throw the bottom pieces away.
  10. Cut the legs. Cut up every crease from the folded bottom edge: the middle one 4.6 cm, the next ones out 4.7 cm, then 4.8 cm, and the outer ones 5 cm.
  11. Taper the legs. Taper every strip to a 6 mm tip, keeping the middle of the fold. Trim inner edges from the slit's top, outer edges from 0.8, 2, 2.8, 3.4 cm up (middle out).
  12. Free the claws. Lift each claw flap clear of the body. Snip 5.8 cm down its outer side fold from the top, then slant its inner edge in to a narrow arm at the bottom.
  13. Cut the pincers. Still holding each flap clear, cut its middle strip down 3 cm from the top and away, leaving two fingers. Then trim each finger to a point.
  14. Round the shell. Lift the claw flaps. Cut the top into a dome from 9 cm up each side to 11.5 cm near the middle. Leave the middle two strips 2 cm taller as eye stalks, a V between.
  15. Swing the claws out. Fold each claw out over the side fold, on a crease from the end of its snip that leans out a little, so the claw sticks up and out like a waving arm.
  16. Legs out. Number legs 1-4 from the outside in. Fold legs 1 and 3 out behind, on creases from the top of the inner slit to the outer edge, 1.6 cm and 2.7 cm lower.
  17. More legs out. Fold legs 2 and 4 out over the front the same way, creases dropping 2 cm and 3.8 cm, so all eight legs fan out: outer ones level, inner ones pointing down.

Snap snap!

Dab glue inside each claw to hold its layers together. Draw a white eye with a black middle on each stalk and give it a big smile.

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